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Google Advice: Improve Your Ranking For Future Core Updates

Written on . Posted in Blog.

Google Advice: Improve Your Ranking For Future Core Updates

Google has provided us with something to point to after a major update has a negative impact on a site's ranking in Google search.

Google has issued guidance on core updates, which are changes to Google's core search ranking algorithm. Google updates its core search ranking algorithm every few months or so; the most recent core update was in June.

Google previously stated that there is nothing you can do to fix your site if you notice a drop in search rankings following a core update. Google reinforced that advice in a new blog post, but added some general advice about focusing on your content.

There is nothing to be fixed. Google reiterated that there is frequently nothing to fix on your site following these core updates. "We understand that those with sites experiencing drops will be looking for a solution, and we want to ensure they don't try to fix the wrong things." Furthermore, there may be nothing to fix at all." Google went on to say, "There's nothing wrong with pages that may perform less well in a core update."

So, what has altered? So the question is, what has changed? What should I do to improve my site's ranking in Google after a major update? What has changed, according to Google, is how its systems evaluate content in general. Google provided the following example of top movie ratings:

“One way to think of how a core update operates is to imagine you made a list of the top 100 movies in 2015. A few years later in 2019, you refresh the list. It’s going to naturally change. Some new and wonderful movies that never existed before will now be candidates for inclusion. You might also reassess some films and realize they deserved a higher place on the list than they had before. The list will change, and films previously higher on the list that move down aren’t bad. There are simply more deserving films that are coming before them,” Google wrote.

What should I do? Google's latest advice is similar to what it said about its Panda algorithm in 2011: "We recommend focusing on ensuring you're offering the best content you can." That's what our algorithms look for."

When evaluating your content, the company provided the following list of questions to consider:

  • Is the content unique in terms of information, reporting, research, or analysis?
  • Is the content substantial, complete, or comprehensive in its description of the topic?
  • Is there insightful analysis or interesting information that isn't obvious in the content?
  • Does the content that draws on other sources avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources, instead providing significant additional value and originality?
  • Is there a descriptive, helpful summary of the content in the headline and/or page title?
  • Is the headline and/or page title exaggerated or shocking in nature?
  • Is this the type of page you'd save, share with a friend, or recommend?
  • Would you expect to see this information in a printed magazine, encyclopedia, or book?

Questions of expertise.

  • Is the content presented in a way that makes you want to trust it, such as clear sourcing, evidence of expertise, and background on the author or the site that publishes it, such as through links to an author page or a site's About page?
  • Would you get the impression that the site producing the content is well-trusted or widely recognized as an authority on its topic if you researched it?
  • Is this content written by an expert or enthusiast who clearly understands the subject?
  • Is there any easily verifiable factual error in the content?
  • Would you feel comfortable putting your money or your life in the hands of this content?

Questions about presentation and production.

  • Is the content free of spelling and stylistic errors?
  • Is the content well-produced, or does it appear sloppy or hastily put together?
  • Is the content mass-produced or outsourced to a large number of creators, or is it distributed across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites do not receive as much attention or care?
  • Is there an excessive amount of advertising in the content that distracts from or interferes with the main content?
  • Does the content look good when viewed on mobile devices?

Questions of comparison.

  • Is the content significantly more valuable than other pages in search results?

  • Is the content serving the genuine interests of site visitors, or does it appear to exist solely to try to guess what might rank well in search engines?

Guidelines for quality raters and EAT. As many SEOs have stated in recent years, you should read the search quality raters guidelines, which have been relocated, and concentrate on the EAT sections. The letters EAT stand for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. "Reading the guidelines may help you assess how your content is performing from an E-A-T perspective and consider improvements," Google said.

This is not an update confirmation. This post does not confirm any new developments. Google last confirmed the June core update, but no other updates have been confirmed since then.

“Broad core updates tend to happen every few months,” Google said. “we’re constantly making updates to our search algorithms, including smaller core updates,” Google added. So Google may have made updates to previous core updates, but Google said: “we don’t announce all of these because they’re generally not widely noticeable.” But the company acknowledged, “still, when released, they can cause content to recover if improvements warrant.”

Why Do We Care? 

Now we have something from Google to point to as to how to proceed after our site was negatively impacted by a Google core update.

Seek the Advice of SEO Professionals

Contact us as soon as possible; our SEO experts can assist you in avoiding the impact of these updates on your Google rankings.